Armed men lay siege to hotel with bombs and guns in Somalia

November 01, 2015 10:57

Gunmen stormed a popular hotel in Mogadishu on Sunday after opening their attack with multiple blasts, Somali officials said.

Many civilians died in the attack, they said. But they did not give a death or injury toll, and the siege was ongoing in the morning hours, as Somali special forces moved in to fight the militants.

The attack started when a suicide car bomb exploded at the gates of Sahafi Hotel, which government officials use as a residence, interior ministry spokesman Mohamed Yusuf Osman said.

An intelligence service official, who did not want to be named, said that two more explosions detonated during the attack -- one believed to be a bomb remotely targeting first responders. The third explosion was believed to be carried out by a suicide attacker.

Intelligence services are still investigating the attack.

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